“You won’t believe what happened to me yesterday,” Layla says with a gasp.
“What?” I ask.
“Aubrey,” is all she says.
“What about Aubrey? Don’t tell me that bitch is still around,” I say heatedly.
“No, she’s leaving to go back to the States this weekend. But she came to the house yesterday to apologize,” Layla says, her brown eyes wide.
“Was Chase there?”
“No, he was out. She said she waited until he was gone before she came up. And surprisingly she seemed genuinely sorry. I didn’t know what to say, hell, I'm still in shock. She even hugged me before she left. I didn’t hug her back, it was weird. But when she left she was in tears, I had no idea what to do.”
“I hate Aubrey, that bitch was nasty to you guys,” I say adamantly.
“Yeah, she was, but in her own way she really loved Chase,” Layla says softly.
“So, do you forgive her?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
She nods yes. And there we have it people. Layla, she forgives everyone, no matter how ugly they are to her.
“Chase was pissed, though. I told him about her visit when he came home, and he was mad at me.” She shakes her head. “All because I even opened the door. I explained to him she was genuine in her apology, and that she was leaving this weekend to go home. He thought I was crazy when I said I forgave her. We started arguing a bit, and then he accidentally let something slip. I was so pissed that he kept this from me.”
I’m waiting. “Okay, come on, spill.”
“Turns out Lilly was really his father’s. The baby would have been his sister, not his daughter.”
“You have to be f**king kidding me!” I yell.
“Nope, no joke. When he went to confront her about Lilly not being his, he found his father there with her. It all came out then,” Layla tells me as she takes a sip of her apple juice.
“Wow, his father is a piece of work!” I hiss.
Talking about Chase’s dad has me wondering about Kade’s dad. I haven’t met him yet.
“Have you met Kade and James’s dad yet?” I ask curiously.
“Nope, but I hear he's awesome. Nothing like Chase’s," Layla says with a smile. Well, that’s good to know.
We both get back to work, this baby shower isn’t going to plan itself.
******
Today is the day of Layla’s baby shower, still no baby. I told Chase he needed to sex her up, it might help, but he laughed it off. I decided to make it a potluck shower because there is just way too many people coming, but then Chase offered me his unlimited credit card for the expenses, so he ended up paying for everything. Only the best for Layla. Layla’s entire family is coming, and Kade, James and Chase’s parents. Well, not Chase’s dad. We all know what an ass he is. Kade invited Ashley, too. Yay. Not. Unfortunately for me, Sasha is the first to arrive. We eye each other warily, but when neither of us says anything rude, we both relax.
“Nikki,” she says, acknowledging me with a small nod. I must say, she looks gorgeous. Thick long black hair, wide, almond shaped, brown eyes, and pouty lips. She's wearing a pair of tight jeans and a red blouse, showcasing her impressive body. The girl is stacked.
“Sasha,” I smile at her politely. I'm the host of this thing, after all.
“You can put your gift down over there,” I tell her, pointing to the table I allocated. She puts down the gift and walks back over. It’s a little awkward for a few moments.
“Think you can help me out with the decorations? Layla and everyone should be here soon,” I ask.
“Yeah, sure. Just tell me where to start.”
We quietly work together, getting all the last minute stuff done.
“Do you remember our fight?” I ask randomly.
She stills for a moment. “Yeah, why?”
“Think we could maybe start over? Call a truce? Hell, I don’t even remember what the fight was about,” I say with a small giggle.
Sasha laughs. “Funny, I don’t remember either. Okay, truce.” We shake on it.
“Good, because I have enough on my plate today since Ashley is coming. Dealing with her consumes all of my energy.” I groan.
“Who’s Ashley?” she asks me, curious.
I tell her all about Ashley.
“What a bitch!” she exclaims, scrunching up her nose.
My thoughts exactly.
Everyone arrives, some later than others, and everything is going pretty smoothly. I see Layla’s friend from when she worked at the salon, Riley. I’ve met her only once, but she looks so different to when I last saw her. Long dreadlocks adorn her head, and she has a few colorful tattoos on her arms. She is wearing a headband around her forehead, a thin gold chain. Her dress is long and flowing, giving her a hippie look. She looks stunning, like a model even. I wonder what made her make such a big change in her appearance. I see Layla hug Riley in welcome, and watch as she chats animatedly. Layla has the hugest smile on her face, which is what my goal was. She seems to be really enjoying herself. We play a few baby shower games, stuff I had put together with help from Google. The food is delicious, and I must say the decorations look amazing. I’m talking with the caterers about the desserts when Ashley walks over.
“I’m leaving, this baby shower is shit,” she whines to me.
“Then go? No one even wanted you here,” I tell her bluntly.
“Really? I’m pretty sure Kade did, since he invited me,” she says with a smug look.